Safety clutch for elevators



Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,534. '1. M. HAWTHORNE.

SAFETY CLUTCH FOR ELEVATORS.

FILED szPLzs. 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

a :LIK/ 7 /7 gwoawtoz Mar. 13, 1923. 4 1,448,534;

7 J. M. HAWTHORNE.

SAFETY CLUTCH FOR ELEVATORS.

' HLED SEN-Z9. 1921. 2 shims-sneer 2.

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JAMES M. HAWTHORNE, 0

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F HAVACO, WEST VIRGINIA.

SAFETY CLUTCH FOR ELEVATORS.

Application filed September 29, 1921. Serial No. 504,016.

To all to from it may concern Be it known that l, Jnmcs M. Haw- THORNE, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Havaco, in the county of McDowell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Clutches for Elevators; and

. I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a safety clutch mechanism. for elevators generally but particularly for mine cages.

An important object is to provide means to efficiently replace the wooden. guides used so as to overcome the frequent repair and adjustment required, and to provide a construction of metal, preferably steel, which will cooperate with latching mechanism possessing the novelty which will appear from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings of one preferred embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of an ele vator or mine cage constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a view substantially similar to Figure 1 but with the latch rails partly in section, and the safety clutch mechanism applied;

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view taken transversely of the cage and on. the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figures 4 and 5 are detail transverse sectional views taken on the lines l land respectively, of Figure 1.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts throughout the views of the drawings.

In reducing the invention to practice, a suitable frame work is provided which may consist of uprights 6, disposed in spaced pairs at each side of the apparatus, maintained in such relation by connecting bars 7 and the pairs being connected together by horizontal base and top bars 8, on which bars 7 adjacent to the bars 8 may rest. Said framework may be made of wood or metal as desired and the details thereof may be varied in any preferred manner.

Secured to the bars 7 and disposed vertically, are track rails 9, which are generally of U-shape in cross section so as t provide in:

clined rack teeth 10 at the base of a groove having the sides defined by the flanges extending outwardly and beyond the operative faces of the teeth 11. These rack rails 9 are preferably made from metal like steel in order to be very durable in use, and to replace wooden rack rails such as are generally used and which require constant repair at great expense. The rails 9 may be secured in place in any suitable manner, for instance by means of flanges 12 riveted thereto or otherwise secured as at 13, and bolted, as at 14-, to the bars 7. I

The elevator or cage is generally shown atA. Said cage may have stiles 15, one at each side to slide on the free edges of the flanges 11, which are connected at their bottom with a base bar 16 and adjacentthe tops by base side bars 17 and 18 secured thereto at 19 and which overlaprails 9. Secured to the stiles 15 as at 20 or formed integral therewith as preferred, are retaining strips 21 which overlap the rails 9. Strips 21 depend at their lower ends across the base bar 16 as shown. v

Secured against the interior of the bars l7 and 18 are angle iron track members 22,

which mount clutch or latch plates or blocks 23 forhorizontalsliding movement. Clutch blocks 23 are toothed adjacent the teeth 10 to conform in shape thereto. Said clutch blocks 23 slidethrough and are retained in slots 24 provided in the upper end of stiles 15. Links25 are pivoted at 26 to the clutch blocks 23 and at 27 to a head block 28.

Removably passable through block 28 is a rod 29 having a plurality of apertures therethrough as at 30 and through a selected pair of which removable pins 31 are passed to engage the upper and lower edges of the block 28 in order to secure the rods 30 thereto against movement vertically independently thereof. Said rod 30 slides through an opening to a plate 33 secured in the bars 18 and an extensible coil spring 34 surrounds said rod 30 below plates 33 and a removable pin 35 extends through one of the apertures 31 so that the lower end of the spring 34- may rest thereon and be secured in place. As said spring 34: is expansive, its tendency is to draw the head 28 forwardly into contact with the plate 33 and thus by means of the links 25 slide the clutch blocks 23 into engagement with the teeth 10.

The hoisting cable for the cage or elevator is shown at 36 and is secured to a retainer vates the retainerfi flrod 29-; and'acoordof the tea block 37, pivoted; at 38 to an eyelet 3 9 inte fail of'othefvvise' rigid with the rod 29. n use, the cable 36 due to its tension eleingly the head 28. Such elevation of the head 28 inclines the links which: sllllll ly retracts the clutch blocks '23 maintaining their teeth out of engagement with ther'aclz" teeth lO Thus the cage or elevator is free tof'slide, such position, however, the sp tag-3ais tensioned so that in the" event thf (tablets breaks, said prin through its abutmeiitvvithtli'e pin depresses'rod 29, atsrrgi thefhe'ad 28' to' lower, straightening the 1 at t "ir teeth into locked or clutched relaj asbe of? he el v or- 1 to, the fact that the rails time made '1" they'will rove very durable in a rise" and overcome the" tresent woodenrails, y p

Attention called to the fact that the lifilts25 are disposed between the planes of the bars 17 18', so that said bars will overlapgtte links and substantially snugly in the saline" and the clutch plates 23, in 'r'to relieve their'ras well as the head 28,

or; e p of unduelatfal strain.

claim as myinvention comprising track rails having" teeth, stiles disposed over said rails having openings .tl1 erethrough, 1v clutch members slidable thrpu'gh sai openings, barsseufedtosaid stiles and verl ppin said; rails, I guide i means for theclutc'h members 0.11. and intera head i links' pivoted to objection to pendent thereof, a hoisting cable, means to secure said cable on therod, aplate'secured t0 and intermediate sa'id b'ars, said ro'd' being slid'able through said late and extending below it, a pin extending through one of said openings o'fthe rod'beloW' said plate,

and an expansive spring surroundingsaid rod and abutting said last mentioned pin at one end and said plate at the other end tionivith the teethidthus arrestingdesc'ent 2. An elevator safety catch mechanism-ineluding a track railhavin'g teeth and spaced vsides extending outwardly beyond said teeth, an elevator stiledisposed across the free edges of said sides and havinga slot therethr'ough, a clutch member slidable through said slot and engage'able' an'd disengageable Withsa' i d teeth, track inenrbei 's for said clutch member extending'froin the stile, retaining strips overlapping the stile, track members and said sides, elevator suspending rneans, and means to normally maintain the clutchinember retracted and: a

for release upon breakage of the elevator suspending means. p i I In testimony whereof I affi'x my signature in resence of two Witnesses.

Witnesses: I

Gno. E. FATE, JAMES HALL,

JAMES M. HAWTHORNE. i 

